Apple tops 100m downloads from iTunes

Apple last night confirmed that music lovers have purchased and downloaded more than 100m songs from its iTunes music service, marking a major milestone for the emerging online music business.

The 100 millionth song – ‘Somersault (Dangermouse remix)’ by Zero 7 – was purchased by 20 year-old Kevin Britten from Kansas. His reward was a 17″ PowerBook, a 40Gb iPod and a gift certificate for 10,000 songs from iTunes.

“As we cross this historic milestone, we want to thank our customers, the artists and the music labels who have embraced our dream for iTunes,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iTunes quickly outpaced the competition and is far and away the world’s number one online music service.”

Apple recently unveiled its iTunes music service for the UK, German and French markets. However, Ireland and the rest of Europe will have to wait until October before they can use the service. Songs on the service will cost €0.99 and £0.79 sterling per track.

July 24 is the magic date set for the long-awaited arrival of Apple’s iPod mini, which is capable of holding 1,000 CD-quality songs at any one time. The tiny 4Gb device is expected to retail locally for around €201.50 and will be available in a choice of silver, gold, pink, blue or green colours.